September, 11th
by DerekTheSourWolf
Summary: When a hijacked plane crashes into the North Tower, Naruto finds himself in a struggle for survival and a struggle to save the one he cares for the most. Can he save Sasuke and most importantly can Naruto even save himself? SasuNaru.September 11th Tribute
1. September, 11th

**A/N: Okay...(breaths in deeply) yes this is a 9/11 story if you can't already tell. The 11th was a couple of days ago and it really got me thinking, you know? I'm warning all readers now that this will be a sad story, I don't usually do sad I'm more of a happy ending girl but unfortunately 9/11 had anything but a happy ending...but please don't assume that everyone is going to die in my story! Give my story a chance!**

**I like to write stories that deal with real past events (for ex. my other story Could I Be Forgiven?) so thats why I'm writing about 9/11.**

**Speaking of my other story...I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been so busy and I would have updated a couple of days ago but because of _Hurricane Ike_ (I live in Houston) I lost power and when it finally came back I lost the chapter I had been working on for it. So again I'm terribly sorry, I'll try and get that chapter up this week but I still got a lot of cleaning and fixing to do because of the hurricane, so forgive me if it takes a while!**

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**Chapter 1: September, 11****th**

_"Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It's also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. "  
_

_- President George W. Bush-_

...

New York City is the largest city in the United States and this is where I live, along with the other 8,000,000 and more people that make up this city. September 11, 2001, approximately 2,603 of the cities 8 million died in terrorist attacks on World Trade Center 1 and 2.

It's on this day, September 11th, when I thought I lost everything that I held dear, my friends and even the one I loved. Never will I forget the events that happened on this day…never.

_(September 11th: North Tower Floor 91 - 7:30 a.m.) _

"Well, I'll be damned! Naruto Uzumaki, early to work! It must be the end of the world."

"Shut it, Kiba!" Naruto slumped down onto his orange office chair and glared up at the brunet. "If I didn't have so much paperwork to do I wouldn't have come at all today." He groaned out.

Kiba let out a bark of laughter. "If you weren't such a procrastinator you would have finished weeks ago."

"I don't procrastinate!" Naruto protested.

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night…anyways, where's Neji?"

As if on cue, the elevator doors opened on their floor and out stepped said man. He wore a dark gray suit, pressed to perfection; his black dress shoes were shined to the point where you could see your own reflection in them and his long dark hair was tied in a loose ponytail. All in all, elegance was the key word here.

"What's up Neji? You're usually the first one to get here, what kept ya?" Naruto said with a grin.

Neji looked at Kiba in greeting; then turned to Naruto. "My cousin wanted to spend the day with one of her friends up at Greenwich Village and she's scared of going by taxi so I drove her there."

"Your cousin...? Oh, you mean _Hinata_." Kiba said, his eyes sparkling. Naruto rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Kiba's head.

"Don't be having sex fantasies while at work!" Kiba blushed deeply.

"I wasn't fantasizing!"

"You better watch yourself Kiba, this is my cousin we're talking about and I will not let a..._pervert _date her." He snarled as he gave him an accusatory glare.

"I-I'm not a pervert!" He yelled but Naruto and Neji turned to face there desks, ignoring poor Kiba.

"Hey, Neji do you know where Gaara is?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I saw him talking to Uchiha in the lobby, why?"

"Nothing really, just ever since he was transferred to the South Tower, I rarely get to see him anymore."

"Really…? I see him almost every morning." Neji stated.

"Me too, I sometimes even have my lunchbreak with him." Kiba said, leaning on Naruto's desk.

"What! No fair, how come I never see him?" Naruto whined as Neji and Kiba shrugged.

The elevator doors opened once again, revealing a lazy looking man and next to him a much larger looking one.

"Man, it really is the end of the world if lazy-ass is here." Kiba said with a grin.

"I was going to get fired if I came late again, how troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled.

"Ah, they can never fire you Shikamaru, you're too smart!" Choji, the larger man of the two, stated.

"You're so lucky; you never get in trouble for not turning in your paperwork." Naruto moaned as he looked at the huge pile of documents on his desk.

"Uchiha, is gonna have your head if you don't finish those, Naruto." Neji said casually.

"AH! Sasuke Uchiha, can suck on his own balls for all I care! There's no way I'm going to finish this today!" Naruto yelled angrily, oblivious to the frightened stares he was getting by his co-workers. After a few seconds, Naruto realized, well more like felt, the dark presence behind him and he _finally_ noticed his friends' expressions.

"Crap…he's behind me isn't he?"

"Thank you for finally noticing, Uzumaki." Came the cold, smooth voice from behind him. Naruto immediately turned and stood up.

"S-Sir!" Naruto felt his face heat up. Sasuke gave him a blank stare then glanced at the papers on his desk.

"I expect you to get those done by the end of the day…is that understood, _idiot_?" Sasuke asked, his face breaking out into a smirk.

Naruto clenched his fists, the only thing that was keeping him from punching the man in front of him was the fact that said man was a member of the board, meaning that if he wanted to he could have Naruto...fired.

"Yes, sir." Naruto said through gritted teeth.

Sasuke turned to the rest and they immediately went to work. Choji, who worked up on the 96th floor, turned and dashed to the elevator.

Sasuke gave the blond one last glance before walking off. Naruto stared after him and as soon as he turned the corner he growled and slumped back onto his chair.

"I really hate that guy." Naruto mumbled. Neji and Kiba (Shikamaru had dozed off) rolled their eyes.

"You say the same thing everyday. Weren't you guys like best friends before?" Kiba asked as he laid a semi-neat stack of papers on his desk.

"Yeah, when he wasn't a total bastard…! But that was years ago…" Naruto trailed, staring at his lap before quickly changing the subject. "…Anyways we got a lot of work to do today, so let's get to it!" Naruto yelled, thrusting a fist into the air.

Kiba laughed and Neji just snorted. Yes, the morning was starting out just fine.

_(8:20 a.m.)_

Naruto yawned and stretched out his body. He had been racing through the many papers that his desk held, madly signing whatever needed to be signed, sorted what needed to be sorted and throwing out whatever he was too lazy to go through, and yet even through all his effort he had barely even made a dent in his workload.

Naruto frowned at the mountain of papers, wishing with all his might that the pile would spontaneously combust, the thought made him grin. He looked over at his friends hoping to start up at least a little conversation but they were too busy working, along with the many others that worked on his floor, to pay him any mind. Naruto stood up and walked over to the window closest to his desk and stared down at the bustling streets below. Naruto worked on the 91st floor, so the people of Manhattan looked like small busy little ants.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto yelped and turned to see Sasuke, who was smirking down at him.

"Christ, don't do that!" Naruto held a hand to his chest, his heart was pounding so hard against his hand he was sure it was about to burst. "Jesus…what the hell do you want, bastard!"

Sasuke cocked a brow and looked out of the window. "Nothing." He said simply.

"Then why the hell are you here?" Naruto asked, his heart finally slowing down.

"I can be anywhere I want Uzumaki, I don't remember ever having to ask for your permission to stand here." Sasuke replied smugly.

"…C-Cocky bastard." Naruto muttered. Sasuke, for a split second, let a smile grace his lips before it quickly turned into a smirk.

"You haven't changed at all, Naruto." Naruto's eyes snapped up to met Sasuke's amused dark ones.

It had been so long since the last time Sasuke had called Naruto by his first name that he thought for sure that he had just imagined what had been said. Shaking his head he chose to glare at the tall man beside him.

"What's this now, you suddenly want to reminisce on the past? Tsk…well, no thank you. I'm going back to work." Before Naruto could even move, Sasuke had swiftly trapped him between himself and the wall by placing his hands on either side of Naruto's head. Naruto pushed himself against the window behind him as Sasuke's face leaned forward ever so slightly.

"You're in my way." Naruto hissed.

"I need to ask you something-"

"You have 2 seconds."

Sasuke sighed in exasperation, "Fine, listen I…do you want to go get some coffee with me later…?" Naruto was so confused that at first he didn't even know what to say. He examined Sasuke's face for any evidence that he was just joking around but when he found none he sighed and locked eyes with Sasuke's.

"I don't get you Sasuke…"

"Do you want to or not?" Sasuke asked, getting a little irritated.

"…I guess…but I hope you know questions will be asked." Naruto said, slipping under Sasuke's arms. Sasuke let his arms fall to his side and he nodded, knowing full well what to expect.

"Meet me by the lobby at twelve." Sasuke said and with that he turned and left, heading towards the elevator.

Naruto walked back to his desk, where his friends (including Shikamaru) were waiting for him, they had watched the whole scene and were bursting with curiosity.

"Dude, what was that all about?" Kiba asked in wonder.

Naruto looked over to the elevator that showed it was now on the 101st floor.

"I…really don't know myself."

_(8:40 a.m.)_

"GAARA!" Naruto lunged at his long time friend, the hug sending them crashing to the ground**.**

"Get. Off." Gaara hissed. Naruto grinned and quickly stood up, helping the red head up as well.

"Hehehe, sorry Gaara. It's so good to see you, it's just been sooooo looooooong!" Gaara dusted himself off, rolling his eyes at his spastic friend's exaggeration.

"It's only been a few weeks."

"Yeah well, that's a long time to me! Anyway, what brings you to the North Tower, raccoon boy?" Gaara's nonexistent eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Don't make me have to kill you Naruto…" Gaara threatened.

"Maa, maa, calm down." Naruto said raising his hands up in defense.

"I just came here to see how you're doing, knowing you, you're work is probably piling up to the ceiling." Naruto blushed and glanced at his desk.

"The pile isn't..._that_ high…" Naruto said, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"Don't lie to yourself like that Naruto." Neji said, smirking at the blond, "It almost hurts to hear it." Kiba finished. Shikamaru looked at Naruto's pile lazily before slamming his head back on his desk mumbling something about how not even he had that much paperwork; Kiba laughed and patted Naruto's back.

"Don't worry man I'm sure you'll be able to get that work done by the end of the month." Kiba said, earning a glare from Naruto.

Naruto was about to hit Kiba for making such cruel jokes, when he heard a very odd sound. Very odd...and very_ loud_ sound.

"Do you guys hear that…it kinda sounds like an...airplane?" Naruto asked, everyone turned to the window and were immediately frozen in shock.

"O-Oh…my…god."

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**A/N: ...So tell me what you guys think, okay? Review please. (I hope I got my 9/11 facts right.)**

**Oh and I dedicate this story to all those who lost there lives on 9/11 and I pray for those families who lost loved ones that day.**


	2. The Bird That Died

**A/N: Huzzah! Tis' a new chapter! (wipes brow) phew! this chapter was a toughy! I tried to make this as real as possible but man was it hard. I mean this is the kind of thing where you actually had to...BE there to know what it felt like, you know? But anyways, sorry for the wait.**

**Oh and I'm using Eastern Standard Time! just F.Y.I.**

**ENJOY...or not...idk...this is supposed to be a sad story...**

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**Chapter 2: The Bird That Died**

_"All of a sudden there were people screaming. I saw people jumping out of the building. Their arms were flailing. I stopped taking pictures and started crying."  
_

_-Michael Walters-_

...

"_Do you guys hear that…it sounds like an airplane?" Naruto asked, everyone turned to the window and were immediately frozen in shock._

"_O-Oh…my…god." _

_(South Tower Floor 82 - 8:44 a.m.)_

"So Ino, how are things going between you and Shikamaru?" Ino glanced at her pink haired friend and then looked back to her computer screen, barely concealing a long, dreamy sigh.

"The past few weeks we've been dating have been amazing! And I've really learned a lot about him…" The pink haired girl jumped out of her seat and moved closer to the blonde.

"Like what?" The now excited girl asked.

"Geez, Sakura! You're so nosy." Ino stared at her friend's eager face before her own excitement got the better of her and she grinned just as wildly. "Well…for one thing, he's not as lazy as he looks." She said, holding up a finger in a matter-of-fact way. Sakura blinked, her face blank, and suddenly busted out laughing.

"Are you kidding me, that man is lazy on legs!" Ino frowned.

"I'm not joking! He's only tired all the time because he works so hard!" Ino said angrily, defending her boyfriend. Sakura's laughing soon could be heard through out the whole floor.

"What do you mean 'he works so hard'? No one has ever even seen him work _at all_!" Ino was about to reply when suddenly they heard, well more like felt, a huge explosion. Violent vibrations shook their building; sending most people, including the two girls, crashing to the floor. When the tremors stopped the whole floor froze. Sakura looked over at Ino, who had at some point gripped her hand in a vice grip. Everyone stood in shock, no one dared to move before the faintest of screams could be heard from the streets below. It wasn't long before everyone that was on their floor ran to the windows only to be struck with even more dread and fear.

At first they couldn't see anything, except the blazing smoke that surrounded the North Tower, murmurs could be heard by all the workers and some had already broke down in a panic. The smoke was relentless but it cleared just enough that they could all see the huge gaping hole the building now had. Black, ominous, smoke was emanating out of it, steadily reaching for the sky above. And that's when the yelling started. In a panic, other workers began to run around gathering their things, while some began to knock each other over in an attempt to get in the elevators or stairs

Ino shook before falling down to the ground in a crumpled heap; she grabbed at her hair and began to sob.

"Sakura...Shikamaru, EVERYONE, our friends, they're in there!" Ino yelled hysterically. Sakura fell to her knees and held her friend as tightly as she could, keeping her own tears at bay. The whole floor was in hysteria, panic evident in everyone's eyes. She was scared, for the first time she was truley afraid. She tightened her grip on Ino and managed to tug both of their weight up.

"Calm down, Ino. Just stay calm." Sakura looked over her shoulder at the large clouds of smoke coming out of the building and instantly shuddered. She turned back to Ino and began to hastily make her way to the stairwell. "I-It's too dangerous to stay here, we need to get out and fast!"

Sakura had always been one to react quickly to trouble and her instincts told her that she needed to get herself and everyone else out as soon as possible.

"Everyone we need to evacuate the building, NOW!" Sakura yelled, pointing to the stairwell. She figured the elevators wouldn't be safe, seeing as whatever caused the explosion in the North Tower could most definitely happen to theirs as well.

Everyone in the room was in a state of panic but in a matter of seconds Sakura managed the impossibe and herded them towards the stairs. Once Sakura made sure she had cleared her floor she slowly followed behind, still holding on to the weeping blonde.

"Ino, we don't even know what's going on, for all we know everyone could be perfectly safe. Let's concentrate on getting out of here then you can call Shikamaru on his cell phone, okay?" Ino wiped the tears out of her eyes and nodded.

"Alright…but I swear if that lazy-ass dies on me…I-I'll-" Sakura rubbed her friends back gently, trying to keep her from crying again. Sakura glanced back at the still burning building and felt the corners of her eyes sting. She shook her head, she had to be strong, for Ino and...for herself. Sakura pushed the tears that threatened to spill and denied the fact any of her friends could be hurt and started down the steps.

It was as they were making there way down that an announcement came on.

"**Attention: Everyone please remain calm, you are safe, please return to your offices."**

"What!" Sakura frowned as the announcement was repeated, there was no way she was going back to work, not after that explosion and especially when she knew that her friends in the North Tower could be in serious danger or possibly…well there was no time to ponder on it.

"Sakura, what should we do…?" Ino asked, watching as some of there co-workers begrudgingly turned around and headed back up the stairs.

"Ino, there is NO way we're staying here, we're leaving NOW." Sakura said, firmly. She grabbed at Ino's wrist and continued there long descent.

"Sakura…" Ino paused and looked after the many workers that had turned and were now going back up the stairs. "I have this feeling..."

Sakura raised a brow as she helped Ino continue down. "What feeling?"

Ino turned to look down the steps, tears rolling down her face. "…The feeling that…" She again looked up at their ascending co-workers. "…we're never going to see them again."

_(North Tower Floor 91 – 8:48 a.m.)_

Naruto coughed roughly and slowly got up off the floor, he had a few cuts and bruises on him but other than that he was fine. He took a shaky breath and inspected the damage around him, many of the windows had shattered and some of the desks were flipped over, papers littered the floor, some flying out of the broken windows. Part of the ceiling had collapsed, letting in a dark smoke.

Naruto heard a groan coming from behind him, he turned and saw a mop of brown hair from under a desk and instantly recognized who it was.

"K-Kiba! Are you all right man!" Naruto asked as he ran over to him and carefully pushed the desk off his dog-loving friend.

Kiba shook his head from the white dust that covered him. "Yeah…" He coughed, a puff of white escaping him as he did so. He looked around and shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell...? That plane, did it really…?" Kiba looked up at Naruto. "Where are the guys?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly scanned the floor. He saw other workers getting up and others helping their companions off the floor. Most had minor injuries, mostly a few cuts from the glass, but Naruto also had the horror to notice that some of the bodies on the floor weren't moving at all, which only meant one thing…Naruto frowned and stood up along with Kiba.

"Naruto, Kiba!" They turned and sighed in relief to see Shikamaru, Neji and Gaara, who was leaning on Neji for support.

"I'm so glad you guys are-Oh my gosh Gaara, you're leg!" Naruto yelled worriedly. Gaara's pant leg was rolled up, revealing a nasty gash with some dangerously large glass fragments still embedded into it.

Neji rolled his eyes as he shifted Gaara's weight. "Thank you for pointing that out Mr. Obvious." Gaara grunted.

"We need to get the hell out of here and get those cuts cleaned, Neji are you alright with carrying Gaara out of here?" Naruto asked Neji, ignoring Gaara's previous comment.

"I don't need to be carr-AH!" Neji picked Gaara up bridal style and wordlessly heading for the stairs, Gaara angrily protesting the whole way.

"Alright the rest of you go with them." Naruto said.

"You're coming too?" Shikamaru asked, though by the look in his eyes, Naruto could tell he already knew the answer.

"…No" Naruto smiled. "But I'll be right behind you okay, I promise. I'll just make sure everyone gets out and then I'll go." Shikamaru and Kiba gave each other a knowing look but they both agreed nonetheless. They knew Naruto far to well to argue with him, they knew he would never leave anyone behind, no matter the circumstances.

Kiba put both hands on Naruto's shoulders, squeezing them as he looked his friend in the eyes. "We'll go but don't go do something stupid...don't keep us waiting too long. I'll come back up here if I have to." Naruto said nothing as Kiba let him go to face the others.

_'Don't worry guys...'_

Naruto stood at the top of the stairs, making sure his friends weren't coming back. When he couldn't see them anymore he went back onto their floor. Naruto squinted as it was becoming harder to see as the smoke from above seeped through the fallen part of the ceiling in rapid torrents.

After checking and rechecking that everyone had been evacuated he headed back for the stairs. Naruto went down slowly, various thoughts and questions popping in his head.

'_Could there still be survivors on the floor above me...? If there is, would I just be risking my life if I tried to go back...? I don't know…'_

A load metallic groan echoed throughout the stairwell that sent shivers up Naruto's spine. He shook his head and thought about how he would even go about reaching the upper floors if he did try...the floors where Choji and...Sasu-

_'Oh no, What about Choji and Sasuke! What floor was he on…100__th__…no, was it the 101__st?__ Could I even get up there? No…it's impossible…but…' _Naruto knew what floor Choji was on and it wasn't nearly as far up as Sasuke's.

Naruto stood still, the silence around him was eerie. The only sound was the creaking of the steel beams that kept the tall building up.

'…_I have to try!'_

Naruto ran back up the steps, taking two or three at a time. He glanced at a sign that signaled he was now back on his floor but he ignored it and continued upward. Before he could get any farther then a few steps he halted to an immediate stop.

"Shit." He whispered to himself.

The stairs were completely destroyed from where he stood. Naruto looked up, yup, they were gone. He looked around, looking for another way to go up when he remembered something.

"I can go through the fallen ceiling!" Naruto exclaimed. He ran back to his floor, when he opened the door black smoke rushed past him. He coughed and shut his eyes tightly. He felt his way through, occasionally bumping into and tripping over fallen desks and chairs. Naruto opened his eyes only to make sure he was heading in the right direction, which was easier said then done.

"Damn it's hot." Naruto said, as he wiped the sweat off his face. He looked up and could somewhat make out the hole in the ceiling. Naruto got down on the floor and felt around for a chair or a desk.

"Oww!" Naruto rubbed his head; he looked in front of him to see a fallen desk. He grumbled incoherently as he stood up and flipped the desk upright, he then pushed it so that it was standing right below the hole. He got on top of the desk and reached for the sides of the hole.

"Well here I go."

_(Outside of the World Trade Centers – 9:00 a.m.)_

Policemen shouted for people to get out of the area and the sirens of fire trucks could be heard as they zoomed through the streets.

Sakura stood across the street from Tower 1, Ino beside her.

"Ino, look it's the guys!" Sakura yelled happily. They ran towards the men, Ino immediately going to Shikamaru and yelling at him for scaring her so much.

"Has everyone gone crazy!" Kiba yelled as he took in all the mass hysteria, the number of cops were drowned by the thousands of civilians that ran about.

Sakura rubbed at her face as she felt like crying and she almost did until she realized a certain blond wasn't there with the rest of them.

"Where's Naruto?" She asked.

If you had to fear anything, fear the wrath of Sakura Haruno, for her emerald eyes blazed with a fire that could almost literally burn and most possibly send you to the fiery pits of hell, which is the reason why eye contact with her was a definite, no. Luckily for the rest of them, Gaara wasn't one to fear anything, not even her. Wounded leg and all he stared straight at her.

"Naruto stayed behind…he wanted to make sure everyone got out safely." Now, any normal person would be running for their life at this moment, _but_ Gaara isn't just any normal person. Sakura looked about ready to kill; she glared at the group, her eyes practically yelling _'DIE!'_

"How could you let him stay up there you idiots!" She yelled, venom dripping from her words, metaphorically speaking of course.

No one answered, not even Gaara. Sakura growled "How long has he been up there!"

"I'd say about…ten minutes, maybe a little more than that." Kiba replied, a worried look on his face. Sakura ran a hand through her short pink hair; she looked at her watch, it read: 9:02.

"I'm going to go look for hi-"

It happened so quickly, just like the first, except this time a plane smashed right into the _South_ Tower, the explosion was frightening and equally as massive as the first. The sheer force of the explosion was enough to knock Sakura off her feet. All around you could hear people screaming and if they hadn't been running before they were running now as debri fell in firery flakes. Ino and Shikamaru pulled Sakura further away as the first wave of shattered glass came shooting down. Everything was in complete chaos but at that moment the world was completely silent to Sakura. She didn't hear the frantic yells of the masses, the wails of sirens, or the cries of those who had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the rain of glass. No, she looked past the destruction and blood, past the thousands of paper that were slowly easing their way down and away from the burning towers.

She was too busy concentrating on something else...something that caught her eye when she had fallen down.

Outside of an office window on the North Tower, a man hung. He was so far up that she was sure she was the only one to have noticed. The man hung on for a while, maybe contemplating on what he was about to do and if it was a good idea or not. In the end he let go and Sakura watched as he fell. His body flew past the many papers, disrupting their slow descent. His arms were spread out reminding Sakura of a bird. She waited and waited for the bird to flap its wings but it never did. Her eyes brimmed with tears as reality checked in, the noise around her crashed into her ears when he was no longer in her sight. There was a far off scream and she watched as some of the police officials ran to where he had probably landed. Distant yells for an ambulance were heard...but there was no point now and they all knew it.

The bird had died.

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**A/N:...review please...**


	3. Goodbye's

**A/N: ****Chapter 3 is complete! I haven't updated this story in months...UGH I'm so bad at this updating stuff! (slams head against desk)**

**Anyways on to a more serious note: This chapter is...um well sad, a certain part more depressing then the rest. Forgive me if I anger anyone because of what happens in this ch. epecially if your favorite character in Naruto is...well you'll find out. I warned everyone in the beginning that this was going to be a sad story so don't expect anything less.**

**Enjoy...**

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**Chapter 3: Goodbye's**

"_There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." _

_-Deepak Chopra-_

...

_Outside of an office window on the North Tower, a man hung. He was so far up that she was sure she was the only one to have noticed. The man hung on for a while, maybe contemplating on what he was about to do and if it was a good idea or not. In the end he let go and Sakura watched as he fell. His body flew past the many papers, disrupting their slow descent. His arms were spread out reminding Sakura of a bird. She waited and waited for the bird to flap its wings but it never did. Her eyes brimmed with tears as reality checked in, the noise around her crashed into her ears when he was no longer in her site. There was a far off scream and she watched as some of the police officials ran to where he had probably landed. Distant yells for an ambulance were heard...but there was no point now and they all knew it._

_The bird had died._

_..._

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_Sasuke, I want to introduce you to someone."_

_Sasuke raised his big black eyes up to his mother and smiled. "Who is it mama?"_

_Mikoto smiled back and moved to the side to reveal a small boy. He was around the same age as Sasuke, maybe even a little younger. _

_Sasuke stared at the boy and the boy stared back. His bright blue eyes shone brilliantly, the same went for his shining blond hair that it kept the small Uchiha in a trance._

"_Sasuke, this is Naruto Uzumaki. His parents were great friends of ours and they have entrusted us to care for him for a little while until he can find a new loving home. Will you play with him for a little while?"_

_Sasuke continued staring at the blond boy in front of him before he smiled and said "Let's go outside, I'll show you something cool!" _

_Naruto grinned "Okay!"_

_They ran off together, Sasuke led the way to they're backyard and stopped in front of a small pond they had in the far back._

_Sasuke reached into the pond and pulled out a bunch of shiny pebbles. _

"_I collect pebbles! This is where I hide them so no one can_ **_steal_** _them." He whispered with a sly grin._

"_Whoa…Oh that one's my favorite!" _

_Sasuke picked the heart shaped pebble up and rubbed it on his shirt to dry it. He handed it to Naruto and grinned._

"_This gives anyone who holds it good luck; my big brother told me so! He gave it to me last year for my birthday."_

"_That's so cool!" Naruto held the pebble in his small hands, loving how when the light hit it just right it gave off a nice, soft, pink color. "…I don't have any luck at all…" There was a hint of sadness in his big blue eyes as he stared down at the pebble. _

_Sasuke frowned; he pushed the pebbles back into the pond and Naruto was about to drop the pebble in the water as well when Sasuke grabbed his arm._

"_Wait; give it to me for a sec." Naruto handed the pebble to him and stared at him curiously as he began to hit it against the rocks by the pond._

"_W-What are you doing Sasuke?" Sasuke hit the pebble once more and it broke into two perfect pieces. He lifted the two pieces and gave Naruto one of the halves._

"_Now we'll both be lucky." Sasuke said firmly but with a sudden warmth in his eyes._

"_But, this was a present your brother gave you." Naruto rubbed the rough, broken edge of the pebble._

"_It's alright you're my friend now, so it's okay."_

_Naruto laughed and lifted his half in the air; Sasuke did the same and connected the two pieces._

"_Friends forever?" Naruto asked quietly._

"_Forever."_

_..._

_(North Tower Floor 92 - 9:03 a.m.)_

"Shit!" Black clouds surrounded Naruto, it was suffocating.

A sudden vibration sent him toppeling to the floor as he felt something slip out of his pocket.

"O-Oh, no!" Ignoring the sudden quakes that shook the building, he quickly crawled after the small object when suddenly Naruto felt himself bump into something, he looked down at his hand.

"Ah! Oh…God…" Naruto shut his eyes tightly and clumsily backed away. Once he was a good distance from the body he took in a shaky breath and leaned against a fallen desk. He took off his jacket and loosened his tie as the heat began to overcome him. It was then that his hand touched something else, fearing the worst he flinched but looked to see anyway. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was only what he had been looking for. He gently picked up the small half-heart shaped pebble and carefully put it back into his pocket.

"…I-Is…someone there?" A distant voice called. Naruto sat up quickly and squinted as he looked around the dark room, the voice was familiar.

"Choji!"

"…N-Naruto…?" Naruto ran over to where he heard the soft voice. Jumping over a small chair he spotted the other.

"Choji, what are you doing on this flo-" The sight before him was horrifying, it was nothing close to what he expected. Naruto slumped down next to his friend and raised shaky hands to the steel beam that was cruelly, impaling him.

"Don't."

"A-Ah...Choji…What…what do I do?" Naruto whispered as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

Choji made an attempt to smile but winced when a shot of pain passed through him and blood trickled down his jaw.

"It's…over for me man. I came down to this floor…to get some documents…w-when suddenly…" Choji wheezed and his eyes started to get dimmer.

"Choji! Dammit don't die on me…please…!" Choji managed to keep an eye open; he looked in Naruto's direction trying his best to see him through the smoke.

"Did the guys...get out...safe?" He asked followed by a bloody fit of coughs.

"Y-Yeah...I can help you, we can get out of this so you can see for yourself..." Naruto tried, his tears falling more violently then before.

"No...It's too late Naruto. I can barely...breath...and..." Naruto held on to Choji's hand, waiting for him to continue, "...this thing isn't coming out...anytime soon." Naruto looked over the cold, uncaring, beam and winced at the amount of blood that had already pooled around them. "Can you tell…Sh-Shikamaru something for…me?" Naruto wiped his eyes, a pointless effort he wasn't going to be able to stop crying but he nodded anyways.

"Just tell him…that I'll miss him...he was my best friend…y-you know?" Naruto nodded, he understood well the friendship that they held. Choji paused and Naruto instantly leaned closer in panic. "…don't tell him about this…" Choji weakly pointed at the piece of steel jutting out of him.

"Of course not, don't worry Choji…I'll tell him just what you said." Naruto whispered sadly, his grip tightening on the other's hands as he literally felt the life draining out of him.

"You're a good friend...Naruto…Than...k…you." Choji's breathing slowed and his one open eye slowly slid closed. Naruto stared as Choji's pained expression disappeared leaving behind nothing but peace as he fell into a sleep that he knew he would never awaken from. Bringing his hands up to the beam Naruto pulled with everything he had and suprised himself when he actually managed to pull it out, he then threw it against a broken desk.

"No way was I going to leave you like that…" Naruto draped his coat over him and got up to stare solemnly down at his old friend. Naruto looked over the room the best he could, his eyes widened when he saw that half the ceiling had fallen down on the other end of the room, the hole being much larger then the one he had used to get to this floor. Naruto bent down and gave the lifeless body a tight hug before getting up again.

"Goodbye…Choji." Naruto ran over to the fallen ceiling, avoiding desks, chairs and other objects as he went. He looked up and saw that he could climb up to the next floor by using the fallen ceiling as a ramp.

The smell of something burning invaded Naruto's senses, he looked up and gulped. There was definitely a fire just above him; Naruto looked back to where Choji's lifeless body leaned against a tipped over desk and he shook his head.

'_Sasuke could be dead for all I know…'_ Naruto clenched his hands into fists and glared back up at the huge gaping hole.

'_Fuck it…there's no turning back now.' _

Naruto ran up the fallen ceiling entering the black walls of unforgiving smoke.

_(Outside of the World Trade Centers – 9:20 a.m.)_

There was yelling everywhere, people were running here and there as a seemingly endless rain of paper and debris fell from the sky. Policemen were shouting, trying to move people further away but even their own fear couldn't be hidden.

Sakura, Ino and the guys stood a couple blocks away from the Towers. It didn't matter how far away they were because even as they stood surrounded by other tall buildings they could still see the burning towers and the billowing black smoke that escaped them.

"You know how Naruto is…even if I had threatened him he wouldn't have come down with us; he wouldn't leave his friends behind." Kiba said quietly as he looked over at Sakura who was silently crying with Ino by her side.

"You said you saw everyone leave! Who the fuck is still there to try and save!" Sakura snapped.

"Choji..." Shikamaru whispered.

"And, Sasuke." Gaara added calmly.

Sakura's glare vanished and she quickly shifted her eyes to the concrete.

"He would never leave Sasuke." She whispered sadly.

"I thought Naruto hated Sasuke?" Ino asked as she went over to Shikamaru, who seemed to have gone into his own little world.

Sakura looked back up and stared at the burning towers. "No. How could he hate his best friend?"

There was silence.

"I need to get Gaara to a hospital." Neji said, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to Gaara and the blood that was slowly dripping away from his leg.

"Oh! I'll help you take him." Kiba offered.

"The rest of us will stay here…just in case Naruto makes it out." Shikamaru stated.

"He _will_…" Sakura urged, "…he just has to…"

Kiba and Neji nodded and left with Gaara. Ino turned to Sakura and gave her a questioning stare.

"What?"

"You and Gaara know more about Naruto and Sasuke then the rest of us." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Of course we do…we knew them both since high school…"

"What happened between them?" Ino asked curiously, she knew how much they loathed each other at work so it was really confusing as to why Naruto would be risking his life for him now.

Sakura had a distant look on her face before finally looking back and answered, "Sasuke left."

Shikamaru and Ino turned their questioning gazes to each other before looking back to the pink haired girl.

She stared up at the North tower and sighed. "That Naruto, he would never leave Sasuke not even after the way he left him."

...

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_Sasuke!" Naruto grinned as he ran up to said man._

_Sasuke stopped and was greeted with the usual bear hug by the blond. Sasuke grunted and fixed his schoolbag on his shoulder as he pushed Naruto back._

"_I thought I told you to stop doing that, we're not in Elementary School anymore." Sasuke stated coolly.  
_

_Naruto laughed and teasingly elbowed Sasuke's side. "You know you love it when I give you hugs!" Sasuke scoffed and walked over to the nearest park bench, Naruto following._

_Ever since they were kids they would come to this same bench to sit and relax after school and as they grew older they mostly came here to finish their homework in peace._

"_Ahh…our junior year is about to be over…Oh, I'm so excited we're going to be seniors next year!"_

"_Naruto, I nee-"_

"_We really need to start thinking of a senior prank, it needs to be huge like…like explosive! You know-"_

"_Naruto." Naruto stopped and faced Sasuke. When he saw his serious expression Naruto immediately frowned._

"_What's wrong…?"_

"_I'm leaving Naruto." The world as Naruto knew it shattered._

_They had always been together, at least as long as Naruto could remember. Naruto had stayed with Sasuke's family for about a year before he was finally adopted by a man named Iruka. Iruka was a kind man and he loved him dearly but the separation had still been tough. Luckily for them, Iruka lived near by so they were able to still be together at school and the park being the midway between there homes made the separation a little less unbearable. _

"_W-What..?"_

"_Naruto…" Sasuke sighed. "My parents feel that I need to be in a more elite high school."_

"_You only have one more year, it doesn't make sense to leave now!" Panic etching it's way into Naruto's voice._

"_I know." Sasuke said simply._

"_Are you going to the private school nearby?" Naruto asked hopefully._

_Sasuke shook his head, "No Naruto. I'm leaving the country all together…"_

_Naruto began to shake "I…I don't understand, why do you want to leave!" Naruto yelled angrily._

"_I don't have a choice!" Sasuke snapped. Naruto flinched and looked away._

_Sasuke sighed again, more calmly this time, "I'm leaving tomorrow."_

_Naruto looked up at the darkening sky, "You're not staying for the rest of the semester…?"_

"_No, I finished my finals last week."_

_Rain drops began to hit the ground around them._

"_Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Naruto whispered._

_Sasuke stood up from the bench and placed one of his hands on Naruto's head, petting him ever so slightly._

"_I'm sorry." Sasuke stared up at the rain as well, letting the droplets fall on his face. "It's best that we end this now, we both know that keeping in touch is next to impossibe, I'll be busy...you'll be busy. It'll just be too painful, so it's better just to...let go..."_

_Naruto hugged Sasuke around his waist and buried his head in his stomach. _

_"You still have Sakura and Gaara..." Sasuke tried but to no avail_. _With a sigh he gently backed away, _"_Goodbye, Naruto." And he left, leaving Naruto alone._

_Naruto sat on that bench for the remainder of that afternoon and for the whole day the next day. It finally took Sakura and Gaara to go and find him to get him to move at all. _

_He sat alone on that bench every afternoon for the rest of his high school days and every time he went back he would sit there clutching at the only thing he still had of Sasuke's: a small, broken, half-heart shaped pebble. _

_..._

_(North Tower Floor 99 – 9:55 a.m.)_

Naruto coughed and fell to the floor. His eyes were burning and his breath was becoming more ragged as time passed on, he had managed to get to the 99th floor but visibility was far worse here than the other floors he had passed through. Naruto got up and stumbled to the door that led to the staircase, he prayed that the stairs hadn't been destroyed on this floor. Naruto clutched the doorknob when he heard some coughing. Naruto spun around and examined the entire floor; this floor was usually used for meetings. Naruto carefully walked over to one of the meeting rooms, he opened the door and found the air to be slightly more breathable. Naruto went in and quickly closed the door to keep as much smoke as he could out.

"What the…What the fuck are you doing here?" A voice yelled making Naruto yelp and turn around to see the very person he had been looking for on the floor leaning against the wall. Sasuke was sweating like crazy and he had taken his coat and tie off just like Naruto.

Naruto was frozen on the spot. _'I…I found him!'_

Naruto took a step forward then fell on his knees next to Sasuke. "Sasuke…y-you're alright…" Naruto said, more to himself then to Sasuke. Sasuke growled and coughed as he got up.

"What are you doing here idiot? How did you even get up here?" Sasuke asked too hot to slap the stupid off of Naruto.

"A-Asshole!" Naruto exclaimed as he got up as well. "That's the thanks I get for coming all the way up here to try and save your sorry ass?" Naruto turned away angrily. _'Fucking ungrateful bastard. Should have just let hi-' _Naruto stopped his little mind rant when he felt hands wrap around him.

"Wha-"

"I'm sorry." Naruto turned around, releasing himself from Sasuke's grasp. He glared at him for awhile before rolling his eyes.

"Whatever, we need to get out of here. What the hell were you doing in here anyway?"

"I came down here for a meeting when that explosion happened or whatever it was, I was so busy evacuating everyone that I didn't even notice how much smoke had finally gotten to this floor. I couldn't find a way out so I just…came here." Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke's.

"You mean…you were just going to let yourself die here?" Sasuke tore his eyes away and refused to answer. Naruto opened his mouth to yell when he felt a small tremble.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked as he noticed the shake as well. They both turned to look out the window and the sight left them both frozen with fear. As if their situation wasn't bad enough they watched and felt as the Tower next to them collapsed on itself. It was the most unbelievable sight they had ever witnessed in their entire life. They stared wide eyed as smoke blasted against the windows easily shattering them and allowing the full force of the falling building to be heard by the two. Sasuke dragged Naruto down under the big meeting table and held him close as gusts of smoke and debris violetly swirled past them.

A few seconds passed just when they thought they were safe, the building shook furiously causing the desk to tumble out of the room and threw the window. In that instant Sasuke had made the small mistake of letting Naruto go.

"S-SASUKE!"

Sasuke turned and watched in horror as Naruto stumbled to get a grip on something, his arms flailing wildly as the quakes brought him closer and closer to the edge. Sasuke stood and made a mad dash toward where Naruto was teetering off the edge of the broken window frames. He stretched his arms out as far as he could to try and reach him faster but with a final jerk of the building Naruto was thrown out of the window, arms giving a final reach for Sasuke, his fingertips barely brushing past the others, before he was gone.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

**A/N: (sigh) well that was a little on Naruto and Sasuke's past. Uhm yeah I apologize if there was anyone that didn't like Choji dying but seriously people lost friends and family that day so I only did it to make it more realistic...if that makes sense. Please review/comment you're input is always appreciated :)**

**Oh, and I know...this is pobably the most epic cliff hanger, but be patient...please.**


	4. Trapped

**A/N: You hate me blah blah I'm sorry blah BLAH! I get it! It's been more then a year and I feel like a horrible person. I've had this chapter ready since last year in September WHY I DIDN'T PUT IT UP? I don't even know...I guess I was hopein I would come up with somethin better?**** ANYWAYZZZ...**

*****VERY IMPORTANT!*****

**For my old readers (thanx for stickin with me) I have made changes to previous chapters ESPECIALLY CHAPTER 3! IF YOU DON'T REREAD YOU'RE GONNA BE CONFUSED!**

**so...if I get dumb questions it's either 'cause **

**1) You didn't reread previous chapters**

**2) OR if you're a new reader you and skipped ahead and read this chapter first...and to this I must say...WHY BOTHER?**

**I hope that as a writer I've gotten better and that this chapter and the previous chapters I've edited makes up for my year long hiatus. I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes in both grammer and uhmm 911 events (?) I researched and tried to make this as real as possible but just remember this IS a work of fiction.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Trapped**

_Silence_

_..._

_"S-SASUKE!"_

_Sasuke turned and watched in horror as Naruto stumbled to get a grip on something, his arms flailing wildly as the quakes brought him closer and closer to the edge. Sasuke stood and made a mad dash toward where Naruto was teetering off the edge of the broken window frames. He stretched his arms out as far as he could to try and reach him faster but with a final jerk of the building Naruto was thrown out of the window, arms giving a final reach for Sasuke, his fingertips barely brushing past the others, before he was gone._

_"NARUTO!"_

_(North Tower Floor 99 - 10:00 a.m.)_

Sasuke grunted as every muscle in his body worked, beads of sweat dripped off his face by his own exertion. His arm ached but he wasn't about to let go.

The smoke had billowed around him but his hold remained firm. There was a tense quiet, broken only when Sasuke heard a small cough and groan from the form he held below him.

"Ah…Sasuke…" Sasuke looked down at the young blond. His hand was gripping onto Naruto's fingers and he frowned at seeing how close he had come to losing him.

Naruto looked back up and gave thanks that Sasuke had such strength and for the first time he was glad that his own body was small and light.

"Can you pull me up now?" Naruto asked, his voice trembling, not daring to look down. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he carefully shifted and used his other arm to swiftly haul the other up.

As soon as Naruto was back up safely he let out a shuddered breath and burst into tears as his body shook, finally taking in the shock of what had happened. Sasuke pulled Naruto into his chest and quietly comforted the shaken blond.

"T-Thank you…Sasuke. I-I thought for sure I was…" Sasuke growled and tightened his hold on Naruto.

"Don't say it." He demanded.

'I won't let you go again.'

Sasuke slowly pulled them up and they both moved to stare down at, where once stood one of the world's most impressive and massive building, but now was nothing but a pile of rubble in the ground.

"I don't understand Sasuke…" Naruto whispered urgently, his grip on Sasuke's shirt getting tighter by the second. "Why is this happening!" Naruto yelled out of the opening, knowing full well no one could hear them.

Sasuke glanced over to the door and he tensed when he saw that the black smoke was creeping its way into the room. They were running out of time.

"I don't know, I honestly don't know…but we have to get out of here now." Sasuke held Naruto's hand and tugged him close as he went over to grip the door. "Take a deep breath, this might be the last time we breathe fresh air." Naruto nodded.

"Let's go."

Both took in what air they could and relished in that small moment where it seemed like everything was alright. Where there wasn't any death, where they couldn't hear the distant screams or even the groans that echoed throughout the building. They stood still for a second; thinking only of where they couldn't see or feel the flame's heat that was just on the other side.

But the second soon passed and with a quick glance to each other, they nodded and Sasuke pulled open the door.

_(Outside of the World Trade Centers – 10:05 a.m.)_

They sat in silence, none dared to move. They had run, to distance themselves when the South Tower had fallen but now they sat. The girls cried and the guys tried to stay strong, _tried_.

"This can't be happening…" Sakura whispered, her voice barely heard over the screaming of thousands. Ashes rained down upon them but they made no attempt to shake it off.

"I've been trying to call him…but damn it, the call won't go through!" Kiba threw his phone to the ground from his growing frustration.

Kiba, Neji and Gaara had come back awhile ago, Gaara's leg quickly treated so that the hospital could deal with more severe cases.

Shikamaru placed his phone on the ground and laid his head in his hands. "Choji won't answer either." Ino moved closer to him and brought his head to rest in her lap.

"What do we do now?" Neji asked quietly as he helped Gaara to sit on the curb with the rest of them.

"We can only hope for a miracle." Gaara answered, looking up at the last standing tower.

Sakura frowned, her hope was already fading. With the fall of Tower 2, she wasn't sure what to expect anymore. It had been one horror after another and she wasn't sure she could handle anymore.

"Please...make it out of there…Please."

_(North Tower Floor 94 – 10:10 a.m.)_

It was getting hotter. The fire had spread throughout most of the floor. They were trapped.

"Damn…" Sasuke panted as he frantically searched for a way out. They had been lucky they even made it down this far, but now it seemed that luck had abandoned them. Sasuke glanced down at Naruto who fell to his knees and began to wheeze desperately.

"S…Sasuke…I-I…can't breathe…" Naruto gasped as more of the toxic fumes entered his lungs. His lungs screamed for oxygen but the thick smoke only allowed for the smallest amount.

Sasuke was able to hold his breath for longer periods but even he felt the effects of the lack of fresh air. He knelt down next to Naruto, covering him from the nipping flames.

"Naruto, how'd you get up here? Where's the way out!" Sasuke asked, his voice rising as a part of the ceiling above creaked and groaned ominously.

"T-The airplane, its wings crashed right through…this floor, there was enough space to climb…through..." Naruto got back up on wobbly legs and pointed to where he thought he might have gone up through. Sasuke looked over and frowned, there was no way they could get to that point. The fire had engulfed most of the offices and flames were dancing dangerously high as it burned the carpeted floor. The smell of burnt jet fuel was simply too overwhelming.

"Maybe if we-"Sasuke paused as he felt a low rumble run across the floor. He shifted around as the shakes under their feet become more apparent.

"The building isn't falling down too, is it!" Naruto yelped as he looked around as well.

"I don't think…!" A sudden jolt threw them back down and not even a second later did the floor they stood on cave in. Sasuke made a grab for the edges of the floor but it was too late.

"AHHH!" They fell with the chunk of floor that collapsed and felt as it crashed through other floors, ripping at wires and smashing whatever came in its way. With a violent crack it finally came to an abrupt stop, having landed on a sturdier floor. Naruto and Sasuke tumbled off the mass and down onto the new floor.

"Ngh…N-Naruto are you okay?" Sasuke was the first to move, blood dripped from his forehead where the fall had thrown him on. His shirt had ripped as well but that was the least of his worries. He got up and limped over to Naruto's fallen form, relieved to see that his body was still moving, he quickly flipped him over on his back.

Sasuke winced at seeing that Naruto's face had fallen on some shattered glass and made quick work on removing the pieces that stuck.

Squinting open one eye, Naruto coughed and tried to sit up. "Are we still alive?"

"Yeah…somehow..." Sasuke stated as he finished cleaning, what he could, off Naruto's face.

Naruto sighed and noted that the smoke wasn't as thick as before. "What floor are we on?"

Sasuke pulled Naruto up and maneuvered around the flames, they weren't as large as before but nonetheless just as dangerous. They kept their heads low as they searched for a way out.

"Sasuke! This is my floor!" Naruto slipped out of Sasuke's grasp.

"How do you know?" Sasuke asked as he followed the speeding blond. Naruto stopped and bent over something orange. "Is that your office chair?" Naruto nodded and turned it upright, knowing no one but him would have an orange chair.

"The stairs going down are still intact, we just have to find them!" Sasuke felt a small inkling of hope well inside him at the news. They scanned the area; Sasuke squinted as he tried to see past the smoke. He was about to turn and scan another part of the floor when a small light caught his attention.

"Naruto, come on, it's the stairwell!" For the first time since all this disaster had started Naruto really felt like grinning. They were going to make it; the stairs were a sure sign of that.

They made it to the exit and hurriedly opened the door. Slamming it closed they both slumped to the ground.

They panted heavily, their lungs greedily taking in the much needed oxygen. The stairwell was dimly lit and it still held some of the same smoke but it was a definite improvement. Earlier quakes had caused rubble from the destroyed part of the stairs to fall a litter the floor but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Naruto said with a grin.

_(10:25 a.m.)_

And so began their descent. They jumped steps and dodged small pieces of concrete that fell as they ran. The building had literally turned into an oven, the air was getting clearer but the heat was still as intense. Their lungs burned as they countinously ran down the steps. Their clothes stuck to their now sticky bodies even after they had abandoned their ties, loosened and unbuttoned their shirts.

A lopsided sign lets them know they have reached the 74th floor.

"Ah…there's so many freaking stairs!" Naruto whined. Sasuke said nothing, keeping quiet as he concentrated on the steps. Their progress always hindered when they had to turn sharply to continue down. The zigzag of the stairs kept them from going down at full speed; Naruto had already slipped a couple times when turning the corner.

A small tune began playing making them both jump in surprise. Naruto scrambled for his phone, which he had completely forgotten about.

"Who is it?" Sasuke panted, they moved slower but didn't stop.

"Kiba!" Naruto pressed the phone to his ear.

"_Naruto! What the hell man, are you okay!"_

"Yeah! I found Sasuke!" Naruto paused as he heard rustling on the other end, "Kiba?"

"_Naruto, oh, thank god you're okay!"_ Sakura's voice practically screamed through the line_. "Where are you!"_

"I'm going down now with Sasuke," Naruto glanced over as they passed by another sign "…we just passed the 70th flo-"

_(Outside of the World Trade Centers – 10:28 a.m.)_

"AH OH MY GOD!" Screams picked up in volume as the roar of the North Tower echoed across all of Manhattan. In a matter of seconds the building had collapsed in on its self, sending massive waves of quakes, dust and debris flying in the air. With eyes wide open Sakura watched as their last hope vanished from her sight.

"We have to run!" She distinctly heard someone yell. People were running all over the place, violently pushing against each other, trying to go faster. Sakura looked back to see the enormous clouds completely engulf the streets and those who failed to run fast enough.

A tug at her arm pulled her aggressively behind a truck; there the rest of her friends crouched.

"Close your eyes everyone, here it comes!" Neji shouted as the cloud enveloped them. Sakura squinted when she heard Ino begin to choke. Her own mouth covered by her shirt she swiftly jumped up and tugged at the bandana that held her hair up and put it up to her friend.

"Cover your mouth Ino; stop breathing the dust in!" Eye's watering, as more of the thick dust flew past them, she eagerly accepted the cloth.

It took a few minutes for the dust to clear enough so that they could at least see each other. At this point none had the strength to hold back the tears, even Gaara cried silently. The phone that Sakura had been gripping so desperately now slipped out of her hands, landing on the ground and in seconds was crushed by the trampling feet of those still on the run.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Choji….everyone…We've lost them…"

* * *

**A/N: Yea...ANOTHER cliffhanger. Comment/review/ask questions/suggestions, you know the drill. I can't improve if no one tells me anything soooo yea. I'll try and update faster (i promise it won't take me a whole year again) and just lettin yall know there's gonna be 2 or 3 more chapters left in this fic so hang in there guys. **


	5. Ground Zero

**A/N:**_Alright, hey everyone. I know this is kinda late. I wanted this chapter out yesterday but what with all the 911 specials that came out I just had to go back and rewrite some stuff in this chapter. OH, and heeeey I didn't take an entire year to update so that's a plus a guess._

_Okay, so fair warning to everyone about this chapter: I TRIED my very best to capture the emotion. It's hard and I don't think any one can better do this then an actual survivor so again, I did my best. This chapter was easier because I wasn't running on a time limit like when the towers first get hit, or when they fell and I didn't have to research as much about floor/stair/elevator plans BUT finding information about Ground Zero was freaking difficult, there is virtually no sites that focus on people who were stuck/saved from the collapse so I had to go on instinct/I had to imagine myself in this situation which was easier said then done..._

_SO, without further ado..._

**_*HOLD ON A SECOND* _**_I got my first hateful comment a few minutes after I posted this chapter. Now this person was GREATLY offended that I have written a fanfic on this tragic event. I'm sorry if this story offends anyone, I really am. BUT if it does, don't read it. That's all I can really say about that._

_ Hate me all you want and shoot all the profanity you want as well. BUT know this, it hurts to be insulted like that. You can comment on how you've lost someone but you're not the only one and even if I didn't personally lose anyone. I FELT the pain as if I had because at the time my father worked in NY and when I was at school and heard the news I was FUCKING SCARED TO DEATH. I thought I lost my father and to know that people out there didn't get the reassurance that I got, the reassurance of knowing my dad would be able to come home in a few weeks, safe and sound, it got to me. _

_I wrote this story not to rub in peoples faces the tragedy of 9/ll but to somehow in a very minimal way describe how it must have felt. To illustrate the hopelessness of that day and fear and pain of those who had to sit back and watch, knowing they could do nothing to stop it._

_If you find this story more offensive then "footage of the twin towers falling set to Benny Hill, the Lucky Star OP, and the Crazy Frog song" then I don't know what to say...I wrote this story mostly for myself a way to put down in words how I feel. I used characters from the Naruto Universe, not to fulfill some sick fantasy I've got but simply because they are already developed characters with well-known personalities, which makes this fanfic easier/shorter to write then if I had to create some imaginary people instead. _

_Again, I'm sorry if I've offended anyone._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Ground Zero**

_"Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we've lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost." _

_-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg-_

...

_It took a few minutes for the dust to clear enough so that they could at least see each other. At this point none had the strength to hold back the tears, even Gaara cried silently. The phone that Sakura had been gripping so desperately now slipped out of her hands, landing on the ground and in seconds was crushed by the trampling feet of those still on the run._

_"Naruto, Sasuke, Choji….everyone…We've lost them…"_

_(Ground Zero - 10:30 a.m.)_

Large, white, clouds of dust and shattered glass swept past the streets and any open or unprotected area. Chocking, the people, who were left behind or who couldn't run fast enough, staggered to safety. Some, blinded by the clouds, chose to crouch beside buildings, cars, anything that provided some type of cover. Sirens drowned out any lingering screams, and the footfalls, of those who were still trying to get farther away, trampled the sound of a child's cries as he clutched to his mother in fear.

A small group, hidden away in a dark alley, watched as people ran past them. All were on the ground, huddled together in a quiet circle as they waited for the hazardous clouds to lift.

Rubbing his face, Kiba was the first to speak, "We should call Iruka."

The tears Sakura had been trying and failing to keep at bay broke through the last of her restraint, running down in fast torrents as she buried her face deeper in her arms.

"My phone's in my bag." She whispered quietly.

Gaara, who was closest to her, reached for her purse and quickly pulled out her phone.

With quick fingers he dialed Naruto's guardian's own cell. There was a tense quiet as they all waited for the inevitable.

"_Hello?"_

The fingers around the phone clenched and Gaara pressed his forehead against the rough brick wall of the building they hid behind.

"Iruka…"

_(10:40 a.m.)_

It was dark, creaking and metallic groans soon grew quiet as the destroyed building settled.

In the darkness, under beams of steel and concrete, a pair of bright blue eyes flickered open.

With gasping breaths and a cough of white dust the figure moved slightly.

'A-Am I dead?' Naruto thought . In an attempt at getting up a surge of hot, heavy pain shot up his arm to his spine.

"AH, FUCK! Fuck, fuck, fuck…!" Naruto pressed himself as much as he could back onto the ground. A few ragged breaths later and he managed a whisper, "Nope, I'm… definitely not dead."

Licking his lip, which was really a useless effort, Naruto moved his other arm. When no pain arose, he felt around his body until he got to his injured arm. Shakily he touched it and hissed when a smaller shot of pain ran through him.

Jaw clenched, Naruto laid his head back down, and trying with everything he had to calm his nerves.

'Okay, that arm is definitely broken but I can still feel it.' As if to prove it to himself he struggled to wiggle the fingers of his broken arm, cringing as bolts of electric heat raced up his arm. 'This is good…pain is good. For now.'

It was too dark to see what surrounded him but his eyes were able to adjust just enough to see something protruding from his arm.

Tears stung the corners of his eyes and he looked away. He looked farther into the darkness when a single thought invaded his mind. 'SASUKE!'

"S...Sa…Sasuke." His voice was quiet and the dryness in his throat didn't help. Frustrated, he banged his head back and began to chew desperately on his bottom lip. It was a pathetic attempt, he knew, but it surprised him when his teeth actually broke skin. The few drops of blood that escaped was all he needed to clear his mouth, even if it wasn't much.

"Sasuke!" His voice came out stronger now. "Sasuke, where are you!" No reply.

With his good hand he reached out. At what? He didn't know but he tried. He stretched as far as his body allowed, when his fingers ran across soft skin.

"Sasuke?" Naruto shifted the best he could and felt out next to him again, prodding the figure that was only about two feet away.

A low groan escaped the figure and Naruto felt a sudden elation pass through him. In the situation he was in at the moment, finding out they were still alive was as good as it was going to get for the time being.

"Naruto?" A shift in the dark and Naruto was able to see clouds of white dust fall as Sasuke moved.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, his brows furrowing in concern. His own arm was broken and being held down by something unknown so for all he knew Sasuke could be injured as well.

It was quiet and Naruto could hear as the other moved around, inspecting his own surrounding for the first time.

"I think I'm alright…my head hurts and it's too dark to see anything but...I think I'm fine." Relief washed over Naruto. A few heavy coughs escaped Sasuke before he continued, "How about you? Are you hurt?"

Naruto sighed and nibbled at his recently cut lip. "I'm fine…but…"

Sasuke's ears pricked up at this. "But…what?"

"My arm…it's caught under something and it hurts like hell…"

"Can you move it at all?" Sasuke's voice becoming more alert as he spoke.

"Y-yeah, a little. I can move my fingers but it hurts when I do."

"Shit…"

A time passed when only their shallow breaths could be heard; both contemplating on what to do next.

"Can you move at all, or are you stuck?"

"I don't know, hold on." Naruto laid quietly as he heard Sasuke's body shuffle a bit. Sasuke had moved closer to where he assumed Naruto to be when he bumped into something, knocking it down. The metallic sound rang through the small pocket that held both men.

They held their breaths and Sasuke stilled, when he felt a small shake.

"Sasuke, what happened?" The other whispered, worriedly.

It started small, the shaking. Then a stream of dust and rock started to fall above Sasuke. The moans of protest that came from the rubble inches above him were all he needed to hear to know he was in trouble.

"Ah, fuck! Naruto, cover your face!" Sasuke yelled desperately as the walls above him literally started to cave in. He dragged his body quickly and as close as he could to the blond before the whole space he had just laid in collapsed.

He clutched onto the figure he could now make out in the dark and covered him the best he could as the broken structure around them screeched and fell apart around them. Small rocks pelted Sasuke's back and he grunted when one rebounded and went right past his face, hitting him on one side before falling away deeper into the rubble.

Naruto gasped when he had felt Sasuke reach him and he would have rejoiced at this if they're lives weren't currently in peril, again. He clung to his form, until the very last quake had subsided.

He was about to let go of the older man's shirt when he heard a frightening crack followed by a pained moan.

Sasuke fell, just to the side of Naruto and pressed his hands firmly to the side of his face.

"God…DAMMIT!" Trying to curl into himself, his face rubbed past Naruto's arm. A warm liquid dripped slowly onto it and Naruto brought his hand closer to his face.

"Sasuke…y-your bleeding." He felt stupid for saying it but there wasn't much he could do for the dark haired man.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as the throbbing; pulsating pain grew. He could feel his blood trickle between his fingers. His skull ached and he noticed that most of the blood was oozing out of his left eye, he didn't dare open it.

"I…I think…" Sasuke started, he tried to feel around his bleeding eye. His face was swelling quickly but the disturbing part was that, where his eye was supposed to be, there was a soft spot instead, an unusually soft. "No…never mind. I know…I've lost an eye."

He pressed his face into Naruto's side one last time before straightening out the best he could. Unlike Naruto who was on his back, he laid on his stomach which at the moment he was grateful for because his position kept the other boy from seeing his injury.

"Fuck, Sasuke!" Naruto felt the edges of panic over take him. "What the hell are we gonna do now?"

"Calm down, Naruto."

"NO! You just got your fucking eye bust in. My arm is useless and we're stuck, god knows, how deep in this FUCKING SHIT!" Naruto's vision, obscured enough with the darkness was worsened by the buildup of tears. He reached over and grasped at whatever held is other arm in place.

"What are you doing!"

"I'm gonna pull this shit out and we'll take it from there!" Sasuke scrambled and yanked the blonde's good hand away.

"Don't you idiot! It'll only make it worse!" He grabbed the boy's face in his hands and shook him a little to get his attention. "You'll bleed out and make this fucked up situation worse than it already is, do you want that, huh!"

Lip trembling, Naruto scrunched his eyes tightly. "We're so screwed, Sasuke." He tilted his head back a little and reopened his eyes. He could vaguely make out Sasuke's face and he frowned when he felt the blood that had yet to stop, drip onto his face. "How can you say things can get worse? We're trapped down here…we're going to d-"

Naruto's eyes widened as a large hand was slapped over his mouth, making his mouth sting.

"NO."

"But…" Naruto muffled out. He wanted to scream out, yell out to deaf ears that his life could not end here. He wanted to escape his god forsaken hole and take in the fresh, crisp air that was New York, his home. He wanted to hold his friends, he wanted to know they were okay.

"NO!" He couldn't see Sasuke but he felt his eyes on him. Anger, pain, hopelessness, and…determination, he felt all of it. The body above his began to shake and Naruto gave up, burying his face into the larger man's chest. He wanted Sasuke. Today could have been a turning point for them and he didn't want that taken from him.

"I'm sorry…god…I'm just…so fucking scared right now."

"I know but we're gonna get out of here, I promise. You'll be fine." Sasuke went back to lying on his side while still holding onto the blond. "I promise." His grip tightened.

_(1:00 p.m.)_

He doesn't know how much time had passed but eventually Naruto felt himself awaken as if he had been sleeping, which was odd considering he didn't remember falling asleep and he wasn't in the least bit surprised to find that he was still covered in darkness. He felt strangely calm and he wasn't sure if he should be worried.

Naruto lightly touched the body pressed against him and paled when he noticed how cold the other was.

"Sasuke." He gently began to shake the man. "Sasuke, how much longer do you think we'll be stuck here?" He asked, his voice breaking near the end when Sasuke still made no sign of answering.

The hands that had once held him tightly were now loose and beginning to slip off him.

He swallowed thickly and raised his hand to feel the dark haired boy's face. His breathe hitched when he couldn't feel Sasuke's warm breath. His eyes watered when he couldn't feel any heat at all coming off of his body. And he finally started to cry when he brought his hands up to his eye and felt dried blood caking his face.

"Oh…oh no. No, no, no." Naruto's constant shaking became increasingly violent and just when he thought it was over, just when he thought his entire reason for staying alive had vanished he felt a small movement beneath his fingertips. Stopping, he ran his hand to rest over Sasuke's chest.

He held his breath as the skin beneath his fingers and Sasuke's shirt rose and fell softly. It was barely noticeable but it was there. Naruto sighed and wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

"God, don't you fucking dare leave me, you bastard…" He whispered. They were still in a hell of a lot of danger but at least Sasuke was hanging in there. He glanced back down at the silent man next to him and bit his lip anxiously. "We need to get out of here…" Naruto looked to his other side and tried to wiggle his fingers. To his horror, he found he couldn't or at least he didn't feel it. With sudden determination, Naruto grasped the offending object that was impaling him. With a final quick look to the figure next to him, he adjusted his fingers around the object and gritted his teeth as he yanked it out in one swift motion.

"Son of a-" Naruto pulled his arm close and clutched it tightly as renewed pain flooded his senses. With his mouth shut he breathed heavily through his nose, his face scrunched up in agony. He wasn't sure if taking the thing out was a good idea or not, like Sasuke said, he could bleed out, but Naruto knew he felt much better. Aside from the excruciating pain, at least he wasn't stuck to the floor now.

It was only a matter of minutes before the numbness returned and Naruto gladly accepted it. Throwing whatever the hell had been holding him down; he focused now on keeping the body nest to him warm. Sasuke was getting colder in contrast to the unbearable heat his own body was experiencing. The closed in space was suffocating but that apparently wasn't having any affect on Sasuke's limp form.

"Dammit, Sasuke…wake the hell up!"

There was suddenly a weird tingling sensation underneath him, jolting his attention back to his surroundings. Naruto looked around but it didn't look like another cave in, no clouds of dust, no falling debri. The weird vibrations went on long enough for him to locate and grab whatever was underneath him.

When he brought it up he had to squint at the light that shone from it. Being in complete darkness for so long, it took awhile for his eyes to focus, but when they did…

"My…cellphone…?" He said aloud in disbelief.

Naruto looked at the screen of his long forgotten phone. It blinked and vibrated evenly as it reminded him of the meeting he was supposed to have today.

He was shocked of course. All this time his phone had survived the collapse and he just couldn't even begin to believe his luck.

Quickly he flashed his phone light next to him and was half expecting Sasuke to wake up and grin along with him. He didn't of course, which brought Naruto back from his euphoria. They were still in danger and Sasuke's life was hanging on by a thread.

With no more hesitation Naruto brought his phone back to his face. His bars were gone, there was no way he could make a call but that didn't stop him from trying. Spending the next few minutes, hours, days, he doesn't know, he calls 911 constantly in hopes that one makes it through. His phones battery decreases slowly but to Naruto it seems it's dying much too quickly. He furiously dials one more time, waits with growing anxiety as the phone rings in its mocking tone. He's just about to hang up when he hears a click on the other side.

_"Fire Department."_

* * *

**A/N:** _WAIT. Before I get any angry comments or something I need to explain a few things:_

_1. When you call 911 you ARE NOT immediately directed to the fire department. When you call you're taken to the NYPD operators THEN to the FDNY but for dramatic/fictional purposes let's just pretend this isn't so, okay?_

_2. If you are an expert in the medical field or some professional first aid kit guy or some crap like that and find that Naruto ripping out the beam from his arm is irrational or stupid well...sorry. If it were me, stuck in a situation like theirs I can confidently say I wouldn't know what the heck to do and I sure as hell wouldn't want some sharp, pointy object impaling my arm. Weather it was stupid move or not, someone with inexperience or no knowledge of this sort of stuff wouldn't know any better._

_3. Yes...Naruto managed to get signal under, who knows how many feet, of concrete and steel. I don't know how to defend this, it just happened._

_Uhm, I won't explain anything else, you'll just have to wait till the next chapter now BUT if you do have question feel free to ask._

_FYI I was kinda thinking on ending it like this but I figured that would just be mean SO the next chapter will be the last and I will end this story properly._

_!Comment/Review/Ask Questions/etc. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!_


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